Sun, sea and a La-Z-Boy: the home-office essentials
The world is full of platitudinous advice and comforting words these days. Here is some more. I can’t claim to be an expert on much, but I can profess some expertise in working from home in lockdown. This has given me a number of insights into the absolute must-haves in such a situation.
I have jotted down a few of them for easy reference for when we next go into societal isolation. I have tried not to sound too smug but it’s hard when you’re privileged.
Weather
Good weather makes all the difference between a pleasant working-from-home (WFH) lockdown and a grim, confined purgatory. Diamond Harbour, Banks Peninsula, where I have spent the last six weeks at home, has had the most splendid autumn weather I can remember.
Sunny, clear and mild days make exercise a lot more enjoyable and allow for agreeable outdoor lunches and morning teas. Is it OK to sunbathe during lockdown? I think so. The opportunities to take advantage of a beautiful day seem much richer when working from home, even in lockdown.
Environment
Another important thing to get right if you are working from home during a lockdown is your surrounding environment. Try to avoid city locations and industrial areas where views can be depressing and render sea and countryside vistas non-existent.
It’s much easier to obey the rules if you can walk from your home to the beach or go for a ramble in the countryside, or both. I lucked out with my residence in Diamond Harbour. The beach is five minutes away and the countryside is all around. Having the sea in proximity is a soothing and anxiety-reducing advantage of where I live.
Distance
It helps if your home lockdown is a long way from the office. When life was normal, I commuted to work by bus or car, spending about two hours of my day on route to work or home. In theory, I have gained two hours of freedom every day.
It hasn’t worked out quite like that, but the mere theoretical fact has made my spell in lockdown feel like a winner. The more time you save, even theoretically, the better you will feel about working from home.
The home office
The importance of a nice home office does not need much explanation. I find it helps to have a sweeping view of the sea from a side window, plenty of surface area and a La-Z-Boy recliner chair.
The chair makes long Zoom calls with the boss a breeze and, when exhaustion sets in, as it can do under taxing home lockdown conditions, you don’t have far to go for a rest.
Needless to say, the home office should be as far as possible from other activity centres in the house, so it helps to have a large dwelling with multiple recreation areas.
Companions
A satisfying WFH lockdown can only be achieved with compatible, independent and co-operative home companions, and I am not talking about pets. Again I have been fortunate. Mrs VB requires little of my attention and my daughter, in her 20s, has no need of it all.
The last thing you need as a WFH worker is to be constantly interrupted, unless it is for tea breaks and lunch. It helps therefore if your WFH companions are introverts and have their own busy lives even if they are not essential workers like me.
Handicrafts, cooking, cleaning, baking and gardening are good for keeping the people in your WFH bubble out of your hair. There is a big difference between working from home and working in the home. Obviously young children are a complete no-no for a pleasant WFH.
Treats
One of the highlights of my day when I was working from my town office was lunch. In central Christchurch we are blessed with many eateries serving delicious short order food, and nothing lifts a gruelling day like a Vietnamese noodle soup or a gourmet pie and chips.
It’s important that you stock up before lockdown to ensure you have something to look forward to. If your WFH bubble contains some good cooks, all the better. Luckily, mine does.
I should also mention the sensitive subject of alcohol. It’s very tempting when working from home to treat every day like a Friday at the town office.
The bar at home is always open and at much better prices than at your usual drinking establishment. This thinking is obviously a trap to avoid. Not all of us can manage it.
Structure
To be a successful WFH worker you also need structure. I found that I was getting up, putting on a dressing gown and going to work through the door next to the bedroom. This is not a good idea, and showers and shaving should not be avoided just because you will have mostly your own company during the day.
Again – lucky me – I have had the luxury of structuring my day, so I’m not working the usual nine to five. I have found that starting early, a long break in the middle of day, and an extra hour or two at night, is much more conducive to a productive day. I have also found the La-Z-Boy gets a bit lonely if I spend all day at my desk.
The last thing you need as a WFH worker is to be constantly interrupted, unless it is for tea breaks and lunch.